Sketches
by amaya no shiori
Summary: Ryoma finds a sketch book filled with beautiful drawings, yet something seems to be missing, and the question on everyone's mind is: who does the book belong to? [Pairings, but only if you squint hard enough...]
1. What is missing

DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN ANY OF THE IDEAS OR CHARACTERS FROM PRINCE OF TENNIS.

* * *

(A/N): Hi! This story was a request from a friend and based on one of the Kaidou Pair Themes Challenge from the Tenipuri Plot Bunny and Challenge forum whose link can be found in my profile.

On another note, CONSTRUCTIVE CRITICISM is welcome. Please, do not be cruel without giving a reason and at least have the decency to tell me what I did wrong & how to fix it. This is my first Tenipuri fanfic and a personally requested fic to boot. If there's anything I can do to improve, I'd really like to know.

Well, enjoy the story!

* * *

Sketches: What is missing…

It was a hot afternoon and the Seigaku regulars had just finished a particularly grueling practice. Exhausted, everyone was in a rush to leave. Kaidou had already jogged off, along with Kikumaru and Oishi, both of whom went out for ice-cream. Kawamura had to leave early to help his father with the restaurant. Momoshiro was still helping clean up with Fuji's help and Tezuka was busy conversing with Coach Sumire and Inui, possibly another training exercise. Trudging into the changing room, Echizen Ryoma began gathering his things. _Nani? What is this?_

Pausing in his task, Ryoma picked up the small, black book that was lying inconspicuously on one of the benches. Curious, he slowly opened the worn cover. _Is this one of Inui-senpai's note books? _

He was surprised to see, not a set of carefully scribbled notes, but instead a beautifully rendered, fully colored sketch of the entire Seigaku team. _It looks just like us… Everyone's smiling, but… Something's missing… I wonder whose book this is…_

Turning the page over, Ryoma was stunned to see a drawing of himself dedicatedly hitting tennis balls against a wall. _Does this person know me?_

The sound of the door turning alerted Ryoma to the entrance of the last set of regulars. Shutting the book, he carefully placed it in his bag before continuing to change. "Momo-senpai, did you lose a note-book?" Ryoma asked.

"Eh? Note-book? No," Momo replied, "Did you ask Inui-senpai?"

"Mada mada dane," Ryoma answered, "It's not his."

"What isn't mine, Echizen?" Inui inquired, popping out of no where.

"Nothing, Inui-senpai." Ryoma answered, before turning to Fuji and Tezuka, "Did either of you lose a black note-book?"

"No, Echizen, I haven't misplaced anything," Tezuka-Buchou answered. Turning to the person beside him, he asked, "Fuji?"

"Sorry, it wasn't me." Was the soft, smiling reply, "Is there a name on the note-book?"

"No." Ryoma answered, finishing up his packing and walking out of the room, "That's alright. I'll figure it out later."

Turning to each other, the remaining Seigaku tennis players shared a thoughtful glance.

* * *

In his room, Ryoma couldn't keep his gaze from wandering to the mysterious sketch book. Sighing, he hesitantly picked up and once again began turning its pages.

What really caught Ryoma's eyes were the intricate details and breath-taking quality of the drawings. Each sketch seemed to capture a special moment just the way it happened. Each sketch was, in its own way, alive.

There were countless pictures of the regulars, each uniquely personal in its own way. From Oishi tenderly placing a band-aid on Kikumaru's scraped knees to Momoshiro chowing down on burgers. There were sketches of Tezuka talking to Coach Sumire and Inui. It showed Kawamura in burning mode. There were even pictures of other school teams.

There was a picture of Atobe of Hyotei sitting comfortably under an umbrella with Kabaji faithfully standing at his side. Taking a closer look, Ryoma noticed that the artist showed the two sharing a small companionable smile. Another picture showed Inui shaking hands with Yanagi of Rikkaidai, their expressions intense, as if they were finishing something. Yet another drawing showed Tachibana An standing between an arguing Kamio and Momo with Ibu and Ryoma himself standing on the side tugging on a roll of grip tape between them. More pictures showed Inui practicing at the river with a towel and Momo yelling at some invisible person.

Then, there were the sketches of them playing tennis. The artist had captured Momoshiro's dunk smash at the peak of its glory. The next page stunned Ryoma. _That's me… doing the twist serve!_

The sweeping lines and careful detail put into his pose were amazing. The look of concentration on his own face..._ Is this what they see when I play? It's so… Powerful… I never thought… Wow…_

Most of the pages were drawn in black and white, and carefully shaded with tones of gray. Yet, as he turned the next page, Ryoma was greeted by the second, full colored picture, much like the one of the Seigaku team, except this time, there were people he didn't know in it. A sweet, older woman smiling as she prepared a set of bento at the kitchen counter, a stern man sitting at the dining table reading his newspaper, and a young, intelligent looking boy carefully eating his soup. They were so expressive and so carefully drawn and colored. It looked like such a happy family, yet… _Why do I feel like there's something missing in this picture? It's just like our team's picture… I wonder what it is… But this picture, it's so personal…_

Ignoring the slight pang of guilt, Ryoma continued to turn the pages. More black and white sketches of the different teams fluttered by, little snapshots of the lives of the different people in the artist's life. A sketch, this time of the river, caught Ryoma's attention. Most of the picture was black and white, except for the sky which was an awe-inspiring wash of warm yellows, oranges, and pinks, and the river which was a clear, clean blue, and two, nearly inconspicuous objects lying on the dark gray grass. A green and white diamond patterned cloth and a notebook._ This place must be important to this person… I think I've been there before… It's the bridge Momo-senpai and I walk over on our way home…_

The last page of drawings was another colored picture, in which the artist seemed to put as much care and work into as that of the family picture. Even though he had already seen many of the artist's previous drawings moments ago, Ryoma's breath still caught at the site of the new picture. It was a simple, unassuming sketch of himself sitting on the temple stairs with Karupin curled up in his lap, yet it was beautifully rendered. _This picture… Is that what I look like when I smile? It's so… Beautiful… Is that how this person sees me? I… I want to find them… These sketches are so open, yet at the same time, there's something missing… Hidden like a secret…_

Shaking himself out of his thoughts, Ryoma slowly shut the book and gently placed in back into his bag.

* * *

Arriving at practice the next day, Ryoma was quickly assaulted by Kikumaru, "Ne, Ne Ochibi-chan! What's this I hear about you finding a diary? I want to see it, nya!"

"Eiji! Please be careful!" Oishi chided as he rushed over, "Ano, Echizen, is it true? You found someone's diary? I hope you didn't read it, we really should find out whose it is and return it."

"Mada mada dane, senpai," Ryoma replied, "It's not a diary, it's…"

"Is this it, Echizen," Momo grinned, holding up the black book he had dug up from Echizen's bag.

"Senpai," Echizen began, before Kikumaru cut him off.

"Nya! Let me see it, Momo-chan! Let me see!" He exclaimed, jumping around and escaping Oishi's grip.

"I believe I'd like a look at it as well," Inui commented as he walked towards the group, "It would be ii data."

"Hehe, me first," Momo crowed, before squawking as Fuji surreptitiously plucked the book from his flailing hands.

"Now, let's see here, oh my!" Fuji exclaimed as he saw a page depicting Yuuta's surprised face as Fuji offered him a wrapped present. Noticing the curious looks from the others, Fuji showed them the page with all of the regulars drawn onto it. Everyone was stunned. Gathering around Fuji, they gasped at the skill and personal care shown in each drawing as page after page was turned. They were all surprised as each picture showed a different aspect of their lives.

"Nya, the pictures are so pretty, ne Oishi?" Kikumaru said as he continued to gaze at the one of him and Oishi eating ice cream.

"Yeah," Oishi murmured in agreement as he saw the picture of him helping his uncle at the hospital flash by, "I wonder who drew these."

"Hmm… There is a 92 percent chance that who ever drew these knew us personally," Inui commented, his own eyes narrowing as he noticed the picture of him and Yanagi Renji playing, "Echizen, you found this in the locker room, correct?"

"Hai, but I don't know whose book it is," Ryoma answered.

"Perhaps we should do our own little investigation, ne Tezuka?" Fuji said as their captain approached them.

"Fine, but only after practice." The captain answered tersely as he carefully eyed the pages of the book, which was now displaying a picture of him sitting at a desk reading an old novel, one of his favorites in fact.

Sighing to himself, Ryoma plucked the book from Fuji's hand and made his way to the locker room. In the corner of his eye, he noticed one of the regulars standing distantly on the courts, already dressed and practicing. _Kaidou-senpai? I guess he didn't want to see the book… Wait… His bandana… I wonder…_

Quickly flipping the pages to the sketch of the river, Ryoma threw a quick glance over the unnoticing Viper before looking back at the sketch book. Flipping a few more pages, he finally quirked a tiny, almost imperceptible smile. _Mada mada dane, senpai…

* * *

_

Having finished practice, Ryoma rushed to the locker room. Already in there, was Kaidou, carefully packing his things.

"Kaidou-senpai, here," Ryoma said as he gently placed the worn sketch book in his upperclassman's hands, "your pictures are missing something." Chuckling at his senpai's questioning stare, he simply said, "You shouldn't forget yourself, ne senpai?"

Having returned the book, Ryoma picked up his things and set out, ignoring Kaidou's thoughtful and penetrating gaze.

* * *

"You returned the book?!" Momo yelled, "Who's the owner?"

"Saa, that's not my secret to tell, senpai," Ryoma answered, as he strolled back into the locker room.

"No fair! You shouldn't keep secrets from us, Ochibi-chan!" Kikumaru whined.

Oishi sighed, "Well, at least we returned the book… Still, it would have been nice to talk to the artist… I wonder who it was… You really can't tell us, Echizen?"

"Iie," Ryoma replied, before pausing. In front of his locker was a large, folded piece of paper.

"Hmm? What is that?" Fuji asked as the other regulars gathered around the freshman.

Gingerly unfolding the paper, the Seigaku regulars were greeted by an enlarged drawing of the entire team together, surrounded by a frame of individual sketches, each a snap-shot of their lives. It was a master piece.

"The pictures are the same, but there's something different about it all," Momo commented, his brows creasing in thought.

Smiling, Ryoma's eyes wandered to the left corner of the team picture, which in the sketch book had been empty. Yet now, in that very corner of the new sketch, was a drawing of Kaidou in his usual green bandana, standing to side of the group, but still smiling with the rest of the team._ Saa, now the picture feels complete…

* * *

_

(A/N): How was it? This is my first Tenipuri fanfic and a personally requested fic to boot. If there's anything I can do to improve, I'd really like to know.

I couldn't really tell the pairings, it's something you need to squint to see… What pairings did you see in it? I really need to know if I did this right.

* * *

**_Thank you to everyone who has read and reviewed. Your input is greatly appreciated!_**


	2. Lonely Distances

DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN ANY OF THE IDEAS OR CHARACTERS FROM PRINCE OF TENNIS.

* * *

(A/N): Hi! This story was a request from a friend and based on one of the Kaidou Pair Themes Challenge from the Tenipuri Plot Bunny and Challenge forum whose link can be found in my profile.

On another note, CONSTRUCTIVE CRITICISM is welcome. Please, do not be cruel without giving a reason and at least have the decency to tell me what I did wrong & how to fix it. This is my first Tenipuri fanfic and a personally requested fic to boot. If there's anything I can do to improve, I'd really like to know.

Well, enjoy the story!

* * *

Sketches: A Lonely Distances

"C'mon Echizen, I really want to know," Momo said, "I'm sure that person won't mind, nope, they shouldn't mind at all."

"Momo-chan's right, nya," Kikumaru chirped, "It's not fair you get to know who drew the pretty pictures, Ochibi-chan! You shouldn't keep secrets from us!"

"Dame da yo, senpai," Ryoma murmured, his eyes briefly resting on the Kaidou, who was busy practicing his serves, "It's really not my place to tell."

"Perhaps I can change your mind with some Aozu?" Inui interjected, holding up a large glass of the vile, blue substance, "So, will you tell us?"

Tension rose. Tezuka looked up almost nonchalantly, Kawamura gave a nervous chuckle, Fuji smiled and opened his eyes, Momo and Kikumaru gulped before grinning at Ryoma, and Inui's glasses gained an ominous glint. _Echizen will definitely crumble and tell us now!_

"No," Ryoma said bluntly as he took the glass from Inui and quickly downed it, much to the shock of the regulars.

* * *

"Who'd of thought he'd take Aozu over telling us," Momo wondered out loud as he rallied with Kawamura while Inui took notes and Fuji kept the score.

"Yeah, that was a real shock," Oishi added from the side-lines, "I was sure he would have cracked. Although it makes you wonder what the big secret is, doesn't it."

"Nya, that's right! Ochibi-chan is keeping a big secret from us," Kikumaru whined, "I want to know too! We should investigate!"

"I'm curious as well," Fuji said, "The artist had to have known all of us on some level, otherwise they wouldn't have been able to draw the pictures like they did. I'll help if you're going to look into this."

"Fuji is correct," Inui commented, "There is a 92 percent chance that the artist knows each of us personally and that we know them as well, however, it is strange that we're unable to figure out his or her identity. Echizen's stubbornness is also rather grating, although I must commend him for keeping the secret so well. If you find any clues, let me know and I'll see if I can piece them together."

"ALRIGHT! BURNING! WE'LL FIND THE MYSTERY ARTIST, BABY! YOU CAN COUNT ON ME!" Kawamura shouted as he smashed the ball to the right corner, just past Momo's reach.

"Ne, Tezuka? You'll help too, right?" Fuji asked, smiling at his captain.

"Fine," Was his curt response, "Just don't damage anything during the investigation. I'll ask Coach Sumire to scout the art class students for us. Fuji, you can ask the art club members."

"Nya! I'll go too!" Kikumaru exclaimed, bouncing along next to Fuji.

"Hmmm, perhaps we should also look into other schools," Inui stated, "We've come into contact with each of them before and who's to say someone hasn't been snooping around in our locker room? Also, it wouldn't hurt to gain some assistance in this investigation. I'll start by asking Renji."

Sighing, Oishi added, "Alright, I guess I'll just ask around campus, just incase the artist isn't part of the Art Club or any of the art classes."

"Good idea," Inui nodded in approval, "Momoshiro, you should ask some of the members of the tennis club. Seeing as they have the most access to the locker, aside from us regulars, it may be one of them."

"Yeah, that's fine. I'm sure they'd tell me if they knew," Momo agreed.

To the side, unnoticed by the other regulars, Kaidou shook his head and let out a soft hiss before turning and walking off to the locker rooms.

* * *

Groggily, Ryoma sat up and looked around. _What… Oh, that's right, I drank Aozu… Kami-sama what was I thinking?! Hmm… They put me in the Locker room?_

Shaking his head, the freshman glanced around the room to gather his bearings, his sight finally resting on the large team drawing he had found in front of his locker the day before. The regulars had taken it upon themselves to smooth out the folds and frame the artwork. For now, it was in their locker room, seeing as it'd give them a chance to look at it every once in a while. _Besides, there was no room for it in the coach's office…_

Standing, he noticed a crumpled piece of paper lying near the trashcan… Normally, he would have disregarded something so trivial, but it was slightly opened and he could see bits of a drawing on it. Curious, Ryoma picked up the paper and carefully smoothed it out before letting out a soft, startled gasp. _Why would he throw this away?_

It was drawing of the courts, in shades of dark greens and blues, with all of the regulars at a distance, standing together laughing and seeming to have a good time. Up close was Kaidou leaning against a tree outside of the painstakingly drawn chain-linked fence, watching the others inside. It was breath taking, yet so sad at the same time. _His expression… It's so… lonely… Is that how he feels? To be on the outside looking in… Kaidou-senpai…_

With a small, thoughtful frown, Ryoma folded the paper and slid it into his backpack. _Since he doesn't want it, maybe it'll be ok for me to keep it… Still… Senpai, I told you not to forget yourself…

* * *

_

Over then next few days, Ryoma would send brief glances over to Kaidou, whom he noticed always stood apart from the group and couldn't help feel a pang in his heart and a slight flutter in his stomach. _That look... It's just like in his picture… Why does it hurt so much when I see him like that? If only I could do something… anything to end his sadness… anything to make him smile…_

Looking over his shoulder, he noticed the other regulars seemed to be busy scheming something. Deciding not to get involved at the moment, Ryoma walked over to Kaidou. Offering his hand, Ryoma gave a small smile to the older boy, who, after a moment of hesitation, took it.

"Ne, Kaidou-senpai," the freshman began as he pulled his upperclassman up, "It's alright to watch from a distance, but sometimes…" he paused to take a closer look at the other boy.

Throwing a puzzled look at his Kohai, Kaidou tilted his head to and continued to listen, a sign for Ryoma to continue, and that he did.

"Sometimes, it's better to join in," The younger boy finished as he tightened his grip on his senpai's warm, callused hand, "It's not quite as lonely that way…"

Kaidou's lips quirked into a tiny smile as he nodded in acknowledgement before he gently pried the freshman's hand from his own as they joined the conspiring group.

* * *

The next day, after practice, Ryoma was surprised to find not just one, but two folded papers on top of his bag. Slowly opening the first one, he saw a close up picture of the regulars, laughing and talking, but this time, in the distance, behind the lightly drawn fence, was two figures. The first was himself reaching out to the other, less distinguishable person. In the corner was a small caption, written in small, neat characters, _It's alright to watch from a distance, but…Sometimes it's better to join in… It's not quite as lonely that way…_

Opening the second paper, Ryoma saw a softly colored picture of himself smiling as he offered his hand to an unseen person. Under the picture was another caption which read _Thank you._

Smiling to himself, Ryoma carefully folded the new sketches and placed them in his bag, next to the picture he had picked up from the floor just days before. _Mada mada dane, senpai… You're welcome…

* * *

_

Unbeknownst to Ryoma, several of the regulars had been spying on him while he was looking at the pictures. Kikumaru, Momo, and Fuji shared a look before quietly sneaking away from the lockers.

"Ne, ne, Oishi!" Kikumaru whispered loudly, "Ochibi-chan's definitely hiding something! We saw him opening more pictures in the locker room! He put them in his bag right after!"

"Hmmm, that is rather suspicious," Inui commented, "Echizen is definitely hiding something. Then, it seems he'll be of little use to the investigation."

"Saa, Inui? Have you spoken to Yanagi-san yet?" Fuji enquired.

"No, I intend to contact him today." The other senior answered, "Have you guys had any luck?"

"Not a thing." Oishi answered dejectedly along with Kikumaru and Momo.

"This is troubling," Fuji stated, "Perhaps it's time we spoke to all of our friends in Rikkai, Hyotei, Fudomine, and St. Rudolph's… Someone is bound to know something."

"Ah, then I shall arrange an interschool tennis team meeting." Inui said, "Although, this will be outside of school, of course."

"Hmm. I'll try to get my hands on either the notebook or a few of the sketches if I get the chance." Fuji said.

"Me too," Kikumaru and Momo chorused.

Just one thing was on their minds. _Mystery Artist, we'll find you! Just you wait and see!

* * *

_

(A/N): How was it? This is my first Tenipuri fanfic and a personally requested fic to boot. If there's anything I can do to improve, I'd really like to know.

A. By the way, does any one have ideas on how I can show the Seigaku boys investigating the "mystery artist"? Ideas for Rikkai, Hyotei, Fudomine, and St. Rudolph's involvement would be appreciated as well.

B. Also, how can Fuji, Momo, or Kikumaru get their hands on some "evidence" to show to the other teams? Especially with Ryoma being tight-lipped and Kaidou being so secretive?

C. And finally, what would the other teams do to help? How do you see the so called "investigation" going?

* * *

**_Thank you to everyone who has read and reviewed. Your input is greatly appreciated!_**


	3. A Healing Breeze

DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN ANY OF THE IDEAS OR CHARACTERS FROM PRINCE OF TENNIS.

* * *

(A/N): Hi! I hope you've enjoyed the story thus far. Anyway, has anyone noticed the **_hidden pairing hint_** in the river sketch for chapter 1? My friend pointed it out to me that the bandana & notebook was a major inukai hint. Funny thing is, I didn't notice or even think of it until she said so. My friend said that my subconscious is a closet Inukai fan… I really don't know what to think… 

Also, did anyone notice that** _for the first 2 chapters, Kaidou has never actually spoken despite how major his part in them was_**? He's been silent and Ryoma was doing all of the talking… I just realized that… XD Then again, Kaidou never did strike me as the talkative type, although the same could be said for Ryoma…

On another note, my friend, the very one that requested this fic, is on some self-appointed mission to get as many RyoKai pairing converts as she possibly can… Watching her attempt this is _funny, scary, and amusing_ all at the same time. Personally, I found the pairing cute, but unlikely, however fun it is to write about.

Well, for those who've read this far into the fic, please enjoy the rest of the story!

* * *

Sketches: A Healing Breeze

"Where's Kaidou?" Oishi asked, searching the tennis courts, "I haven't seen him at all, today. Did he even come to practice?"

"I think he was absent," Momo answered, glancing around the courts as practice drew to a close and the first years began to clean up, "Heh, figures… Mamushi's skipping."

Walking from the locker rooms already changed, Ryoma threw a look over at the second year, "Mada mada dane. Momo-senpai shouldn't jump to conclusions. It started raining after practice yesterday and Kaidou-senpai jogged home."

"Yes, there's an 86 percent chance Kaidou has fallen ill. I suppose we'll need to bring his homework to him." Inui stated, "Although, I don't believe anyone's ever been to his house or knows his address. Hmmm…"

"It's in the student directory, senpai," Ryoma stated, already on his way pass the courts and off campus, "Don't worry about his homework. I'm taking it to him today."

"Aa," Inui acknowledged, as he closed his note book and began to head to the locker rooms.

* * *

"Inui, did everyone agree to come?" Fuji asked as the other Seigaku regulars began packing. 

"No," the data collector replied, "If it wasn't about tennis or any emergency, they saw no need for an interschool meeting."

"I see," Fuji murmured, a small frown forming on his slender face, "then I suppose we'll have to split up and visit each of them individually…"

"Yes, I suppose we will," Inui agreed while jotting down a few notes in his book, "Shall we split up who will visit which school?"

"Aa, that's fine. I believe I'll visit Yuuta at St. Rudolph's, if that's alright with everyone," Fuji commented, his blue eyes showing for a second.

"Yeah, that's fine. Can I cover Fudomine? It'll give me a chance to see An-chan again… Although, I'll have to see Kamio and Ibu too," Momo added as he buttoned up his shirt.

"Yes, yes, Fuji will see St. Rudolph's and Momoshiro will see Fudomine," Inui repeated, scribbling even faster into his notebook, "I suppose I should cover Rikkai, seeing as I need to speak with Renji about this investigation as well."

"Ano, what about Hyotei?" Oishi asked, "Who should cover them?"

"Tezuka," Fuji called softly, "Could you?"

"No," the captain replied tersely, "I already asked Coach Sumire to check out the art students and I'm already pouring over her reports. Find someone else to do it."

"Nya, what about Ochibi-chan?" Kikumaru interjected, "He can talk to Hyotei."

"I don't think he'd help," Kawamura said, "I mean, he the one trying to keep the secret, right?"

"Kawamura is right," Inui stated, "Sending Echizen there will accomplish nothing. We should speak to Hyotei as a group, although it may be in our best interest to get some people from Fudomine, Rikkai, and St. Rudolph's involved first."

"Alright, but how are we going to convince them to help with the investigation," Oishi fretted, "It's not like they'd care about some mystery artist…"

"Well, there were pictures of everyone drawn in that sketch book," Inui began.

"and if they were to see those pictures, I'm sure they'd also be curious about this mystery artist," Fuji finished.

"Ano, how exactly are we going to get our hands on those pictures?" Kawamura, Momo, and Kikumaru asked, creasing their brows and frowning in thought.

"We'll have to take them from Echizen, of course," Fuji murmured.

"Fuji, can you, Kikumaru, and Momoshiro cover that?" Inui asked.

Sharing a glance, Momo and Kikumaru grinned while Fuji's smile widened just a bit more. The trio nodded and began planning on how they would retrieve the evidence.

* * *

Stopping in front of a simple, yet lovely house, Ryoma glanced down at the paper in his hands to confirm the address. Slowly, he made his way up the steps and knocked. _This is where Kaidou-senpai lives? It's… nice…_

"Hello?" An older woman greeted as she opened the door, "Can I help you?"

"Hai. Kaidou-senpai was absent today, so I brought his homework. How is he?" Ryoma asked politely bowing to her. ._She's the woman from that picture… The one making the bentou… She must be senpai's mother… She's pretty…_

"Oh! My son was sick today. Thank you for bringing his homework. Please, come in." She exclaimed as she ushered the boy into the living room. "Kaoru's room is upstairs, down the hall. It's the second door to the right. He's supposed to be sleeping right now, but that boy's never done well with being cooped up indoors. It makes him restless. I'm sure he won't mind seeing you. It would be a welcome break for him."

"Arigatou gozaimasu, Kaidou-san." Ryoma bowed before making his way towards the stairs. As he passed through the living room, he noticed a younger boy curled up on the sofa, reading a book. _That boy… He's also from the picture, so he must be… Senpai's younger brother? I wonder what his name is…

* * *

_

Reaching the door Ryoma slowly and quietly opened it and slipped in to be greeted by the sight of his pale, fevered, and shivering team-mate. He was startled when the older boy turned his head and looked at him almost expectantly with those dark, bleary eyes. _I… I've never seen him so… vulnerable… fragile… It's unnerving…_

"Kaidou-senpai," Ryoma murmured as he sat on the edge of the bed, "I brought your homework. You shouldn't have run home in the rain yesterday."

The bed-ridden boy responded with a small, shaky nod before descending into a violent coughing fit, his chest heaving painfully with each cough as the boy gasped for breath between them. Noticing the glass of water on the nearby desk, Ryoma swiftly picked it up and offered it to Kaidou, who took it gratefully and began to sip the cool drink, soothing his parched, scratchy throat.

"Senpai, don't strain yourself, you need to recover," Ryoma chided softly. _Seeing you like this… Some how, it feels wrong…_

Kaidou nodded again before his gaze drifted over to the desk. Glancing back at it, Ryoma noticed the black note book he had found the locker room not too long ago. Walking over, he picked it up and gently handed it to the other boy, who shook his head and simply stared at him. Understanding dawned Ryoma. _He's… Allowing me to look through it…_

Again sitting at the bed, the freshman opened the sketchbook, almost reverently. Slowly, he turned the pages, still stopping at some of the older pictures to admire them again. Reaching the picture of the family, Ryoma pointed to the people in the picture, "This is your mother, right? She's really nice… Pretty too. She sort of reminds me of my mom… And this is your brother, right? I saw him down stairs reading a book. What's his name?"

"I'm Hazue," a light voice answered from the door, "you shouldn't force Nii-san to talk so soon, it hurts his throat and makes him cough a lot. Who are you?"

"Echizen Ryoma. I'm his team-mate from school." the first year answered, his eyes wandering to the door, from which Hazue glided in, carrying a bowl of soup.

"Nice to meet you," he greeted as he reached the bed before turning to his older brother, "Nii-san, here's some soup. It's hot, so be careful, you might burn your tongue."

Tilting his head in acknowledgement, Kaidou allowed a wan smile to grace his pale face and carefully took the bowl from his younger sibling. Slowly, yet steadily, despite his shaking form, he spooned the hot liquid into his mouth.

* * *

Sitting on the bed next to Ryoma, Hazue looked at the notebook and commented, "So you've seen Nii-san's drawings. Do you like them? I don't know most of the people he draws because it's all about tennis…" 

"They're beautiful. I recognize the people because I've played against some of them. I can tell you about them, if you like." Ryoma offered politely.

"That would be nice." Hazue agreed as the two began animatedly discussing Kaoru's drawings, the people in them, and the funny things Ryoma learned from watching them. _Kaidou-senpai's little brother has such a calm presence… It's strange, but it suits him…

* * *

_

In the midst of their conversation, both boys failed to notice that Kaoru had finished the soup and was drawing in the sketchbook. Only after their laughter over Atobe's nickname, the Monkey King, had died down did Hazue see the empty bowl and Ryoma notice the slight sound of a pencil scratching over the smooth surface of the paper. Curious, they leaned over and looked down at the sketch book. There, was a drawing of them sitting on the bed together, talking and laughing like best friends who had known each other for ages. Kaoru had finished the basic outlines and was shading in the picture, giving it more depth. The younger boys were enchanted by the fluid motion of the seemingly dull pencil as it skated over the paper, magically adding minute details and giving life to the image.

Slowly pulling himself away, Ryoma realized just how stuffy the room felt. Glancing at the window, he noticed that it was a bright, sunny day. Carefully standing, he strode over to the window and opened it. "Kaidou-senpai could use some fresh air," he sighed, enjoying the feeling of the warm, fragrant breeze entering the room, "I should go home soon."

Turning back towards the brothers, he noticed the subtle gestures and looks passed between them just before Hazue stood up and offered him the sketchbook. "Nii-san wants you to have this."

"But this is…" Ryoma trailed off uncertainly, "I couldn't possibly…"

"It's one of his older sketchbooks and he just finished it. You appreciate his drawings, far more than most people and you understand them better than I do, seeing as you know who they're about. It's not often Nii-san gets to show his work to others and it's even rarer they get to keep it. Please take it." Hazue reasoned with the older boy, a tiny smiling forming as he pushed the book into his new friend's hands.

"A-Arigatou," Ryoma murmured, bowing in thanks, "Get well soon, Kaidou-senpai. Hazue-kun, it was nice meeting you."

"Sayonara," Hazue waved then turned and picked up the empty bowl from the dresser next to Kaoru's bed, "Please come again, I'd like to hear more about Nii-san's tennis and the people he meets."

"Aa. Sayonara," Ryoma waved as he left, the black sketchbook clutched to his chest, a special treasure he felt an unusual wave of protectiveness over.

* * *

It was later that night that Ryoma once again found himself enraptured by the images of the sketchbook. So many new drawings, from Mizuki's scheming smirk as he dragged an anxious and confused Yuuta along to some unknown destination to Shishido and Ootori unsuccessfully attempting to awaken a deeply sleeping Akutagawa. It was overwhelming. 

Finally reaching the last page, Ryoma smiled fondly at the picture._ This is the one Kaidou-senpai drew today… Me and Hazue-kun talking… It's different to see myself laughing like that, even on paper… But, it was… fun… Perhaps, I'll stop by again, when senpai's feeling better… Then, all three of us can talk and laugh together… Just like in this picture…

* * *

_

(A/N): How was it? I wasn't sure how to incorporate the Seigaku investigation and I still have to show them getting the evidence. **_Does anyone have ideas for that? I'd really appreciate the help._**

Also, after I wrote the chapter, I realized that once again, Kaidou was left mute! Going back over it, I couldn't really find a place to change it so that he could talk without hurting himself because of his cold… I was also stuck on how to wrap up this chapter, so sorry if the ending was kind of crappy. I really tried to fix it.

Well, writing this fic and reading and rereading it has got me wanting to see the actual drawings, much like many of the readers. I was wondering, are there any artists out there that would like to attempt some of the drawings described in the fic? It would be really nice to see… Well, that was just me musing for a bit…

Anyway, **_I've begun taking fic requests_** from people outside of my circle of friends. I found that it helps with my writer's blocks and even gives me inspiration for more stories. I'm not a very good writer, a complete amateur in fact, but if any one likes my writing enough, they can **_send me a private message requesting a fic_**. I'll do the best I can to answer these, but I'm **only taking the first few** I get.

On a final note, **_please check out my Tenipuri Fanfic & Challenge Forum,_** you can link to it from my profile. There you can post challenges, recommend fics, etc. Also, for all of you tenipuri writers, it's a good place to start looking for inspiration or get help on your fics.

**_

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_****_Thank you, to everyone who has helped me with their suggestions and reviews, I truly appreciate it. _**


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